Time and the Clock Mice, Etcetera

by Peter Dickinson, Emma Chichester-Clark (Illustrator)

When the town clock stops, a colony of telepathic mice comes to the rescue

 Unthinkable! The Branton Town Hall Clock has stopped! The intricately carved turret clock had attracted tourists from all over the world. Every day six small bells would chime at precisely fourteen minutes and twenty seconds past the hour. And out would come a procession of prancing lambs followed by a shepherd playing Pan-pipes and, finally, old Father Time himself.
 
The impressive clock tower is also home to a group of Clock Mice, extraordinary rodents who are twice as bright as rats and just as smart as humans. They speak their own complex language of mind-pictures and elude Juno, the clock tower cat. When the clockmaker’s grandson fails to repair the town’s beloved clock, will the Clock Mice be able to save Time?
 
Filled with unforgettable characters, including the Hickory, Dickory, and Dock mouse families and some eccentric humans, Time and the Clock Mice, Etcetera is a whimsical tale of mice, magic, cats, clocks, science, people, and the nature of time.
 
This ebook features full-color illustrations by Emma Chichester-Clark and an illustrated personal history of Peter Dickinson including rare images from the author’s collection.

Genres: Fantasy, Picture Books, Childrens, Animals

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Peter Dickinson was an English author and poet widely respected for his children's fiction, detective novels, and imaginative speculative writing. Raised partly in southern Africa before continuing his education in England, he developed an early fascination with adventure stories and classic literature, influences that later shaped his narrative style. He attended Eton College and later studied at King's College, Cambridge, before beginning a long association with the magazine Punch, where he worked for many years as assistant editor, reviewer, and resident poet. Dickinson eventually left journalism to pursue writing full time, publishing works for both adult and younger audiences. His crime novels featuring detective James Pibble earned critical praise, while his fiction for children established him as one of Britain's most distinguished authors in the field. Over the course of his career he produced nearly fifty books that combined historical imagination, fantasy, and thoughtful reflections on human behavior. He achieved rare distinction by winning the Carnegie Medal twice, for Tulku and City of Gold, recognition that placed him among the most celebrated children's writers in Britain. Dickinson also received numerous other literary honors and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. In addition to fiction, he wrote poetry and essays, and his work continued to influence generations of readers and writers in the field of children's literature.

Reviews

[Vera Viselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Gli orologi non sono il tempo. Credere che lo siano è un errore facile da commettere, perché gli orologi lo misurano - cioè, misurano una sola specie di tempo. Noi ascoltiamo il ritmo costante con cui il tic segue il tac e il tac segue il tic e osserviamo le rotelline che girano, ogni dente che si aggancia al posto giusto e non altrove, un movimento che ne provoca un altro, causa ed effetto... Ma il tempo non è questo. Il tempo è strano. [ ] Le nostre menti sono nate in lui. Viviamo in lui, un respiro dopo l'altro. Non potremo mai guardarlo dal di fuori per vedere che cos'è. Ho letto da qualche parte che non esiste una ragione per cui il tempo debba scorrere in una certa direzione - potrebbe benissimo andare nell'altro senso, ossia 'all'indietro'. Che cosa significa? Non chiedetemelo. Posso dire di conoscere abbastanza bene tutto quel che riguarda gli orologi, ma non capisco il tempo".

Libro splendido questo di Peter Dickinson, che è un inno d'amore verso gli orologi ma anche verso i topolini.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was very cute, with a clever narrative structure and a fun story. I enjoyed the blend of science and magic, as well as the accompanying illustrations. Definitely looking forward to reading this aloud to my kid a few years down the road. 4.5 out of 5 stars.

[Mesembryanthemum · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a charming story! Even better, there are lots of details about clocks. I love this book.

[William Leight · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Time and the Clock Mice, Etc.” is a whimsical — even twee, perhaps — novella (or novelette, even) about intelligent, telepathic mice living inside a complicated old clocktower. (Readers of Dickinson’s mysteries will be reminded of the one in “The Last Houseparty”, though the context is completely different here.) When the clock breaks down, an elderly clockmaker is called in to fix it, and stumbles across the mice: the resulting story is gentle and charming, if slight. Part of the charm comes from the clockmaker’s narrative voice: Dickinson makes him sound like a favorite uncle or beloved grandfather telling you a story, so that you’re willing to accept the occasional straying from the point. As that description suggests, the book is really for younger readers, but like all of Dickinson’s kids books it’s perfectly readable at any age, and though it’s too slight to stand in the first rank of Dickinson’s works, it’s well worth the 30-60 minutes you will spend on it.

[Stephen Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://www.amanfromrockbottom.com/po... is where I've put up a much more complete review of this book, as well as links to me reading the book in .mp3 format, for those who'd like to have a listen.

This is a genuinely beautiful work, a work of "small genius." Something perfect but so very, very easily overlooked because of how small and insignificant in appearance it is. It deserves to be read, by everyone, and never dismissed just because it looks like a work for children and possibly young adults. It's not: there is depth here, and great importance. It's just easy to read and has illustrations of cute mice, which seems to turn away people looking for something more "serious" for some reason, or those who are too ashamed to be caught reading a picture book, no matter how exquisite the work within.

[Regine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondrous.

[Mairi Krausse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful children’s book!

So hard to put down, this clever and funny story of a stopped town clock and the clockmaker who fixed it! Very entertaining!

[Linden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recently I've been wary about investing time in reading a new author's first novels. This has made me wonder, with the possibility of online free books and downloads, has there been an increase in publication now that trees are not so necessary to that business? It feels as if there is a general dilution of quality in random selection; reviewing services both formal and in online readers' sites seem to have become a necessity.

And so, at my last visit to the local library, without paying attention to who the author might be, I chose a book on display in which the first pages gave me hope. It turned out to be a lucky accident. The book was by fantasy writer, Peter Dickinson, who published many outstanding works from the late 1960s through 2000. I was surprised to discover myself almost dizzy to read accomplished writing. Especially writing that presumed that subtleties would be understood.

This is the story of an amazingly complicated town clock that, after a hundred years of time-keeping, has stopped. Since it is the one reason for tourists to visit, not fixing it is hardly an option.

The grandson of the maker is the only one who knows the clock well. It is his task to honor the work of the elaborate mechanism in the spirit of its original creation.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

A startlingly original, delightful, and well-illustrated story. A perceptive elderly man, called in to fix a monumental town clock, befriends the clock's extraordinary mice. The characters are vivid and engaging, the situation amusing, the drama plausible. As a bonus, Dickinson manages to slip in explorations of concepts ranging from non-verbal telepathy and the challenges of cross-species communication, to aspects of Time itself.

I highly recommend this one.

[Alessandro Margheriti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un libro così è magico. Perché non è solo una storia per bambini, è anche un saggio sul funzionamento degli orologi con tanto di fisica e teoria della relatività (incredibile ma vero!). E poi c'è la grande metafora orologio=Vita, e un pensiero profondo a conclusione del libro: ogni creatura, per quanto piccola e insignificante è necessaria all'armonia dell'universo.
O al perfetto funzionamento dell'orologio, se preferite.

[Olympia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorite books from childhood, got it on amazon b/c I've never seen it anywhere except my local library.

Really deep and lots of metaphors. It comes across as a simple story about clocks and mice but it has some profound concepts about kindness, God and the world.

I'm so happy I bought this!

[Karin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I needed a book with the word "mice" for a book challenge and this one popped up on the radar. It is a delightful book that I enjoyed fully, but I think it could have been fleshed out more. I would have liked more about the mice families, being a fan of fantasy and fairy tale like writing.

Still, a quick, fun read.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very enjoyable children's book. It has telepathic mice and a silly old man. There are good bells and bad bells and essays that resonate through time. And most of it takes place in a magnificent old clock.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Telepathic mice help fix the town clock.